Statement of Senator Peter Welch
On Berta Cáceres
March 2, 2026

Today marks ten years since the murder of Honduran environmental leader Berta Cáceres. She lost her life after rallying her Indigenous Lenca community to halt construction of the Agua Zarca Dam project.

Berta’s killers were hired by the corrupt DESA hydroelectric company, financed by national and international banks. Some have been convicted. All are appealing. Others remain at large, while Berta’s organization, the Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras, continues to receive threats. 

Throughout her life, Berta Cáceres not only fought for the rights of Hondurans; she also built networks of solidarity across the hemisphere, organizing opposition against destructive policies, including the militarization of law enforcement and resource-extractive projects that harm Indigenous communities and the environment.

Impunity for killings of Honduran social activists is endemic, but Berta’s case shows that accountability is possible. The new Honduran Government can demonstrate that it is committed to truth, justice, and the rule of law by ensuring that all those involved in her assassination are severely punished, as well as those responsible for the hundreds of killings of other human rights and environmental activists in that country. It should study the findings in the recent Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts’ report on Berta Cáceres’ murder and publicly commit to vigorously implement its recommendations.

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